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Race, Income, and Penetration of the Justice System

Criminal Justice Department, University of Alabama University, AL 35486

Melody Horn

University of Alabama University, AL 35486

A great deal of interest and controversy has focused on the impact of race on crime and justice system status. Some have suggested that the overrepresentation of identifiable racial minorities in our system can be attributed to discrimination; others suggest that this can be attributed to the higher levels of poverty observed in these groups. This study addressed this issue by the use of available summary data in the census, Department of Corrections reports, and law enforcement information from the State Criminal Justice Information System. The findings provide partial support for the hypothesis that when economic status is held constant, blacks will be more likely to be processed by the justice system than whites. Race does not appear to have an effect, with economic status controlled, at the arrest level. However, blacks are more likely to be incarcerated than whites, indicating that race has an impact on the degree of penetration of the system.

Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1-7 (1986)
DOI: 10.1177/073401688601100101


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